The 2-person inspection method for programmers is described. This technique is similar to the current larger team method in stressing fault detection, but the 2-person method does not use a moderator. In an experiment, a pretest-posttest control group design was used in studying the effect of the method on programmer productivity. The amount of time taken by an experimental and a control group of novices to each complete 2 programming assignments was recorded for each subject. The subjects of the experimental group performed either a design inspection, a code analysis, or both during the development of the 2nd program. A comparison of the models demonstrates that the experimental group improved significantly in programming speed as a result of using the 2-person inspection. It also appeared that this technique is more effective at enhancing the performance of slower programmers. The 2-person method could be applied in environments where access to larger team resources is not available.